Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

Common returns with a great 2007 effort. The album features him in his comfort zone, and that’s not a bad thing. Lyrically it’s a great performance from the Common Sense. He got Kanye to produce a lot again, and the result are some wonderful beats. Will.i.am does a good job with “I Want You”. The first half of the album is the better half…but besides the ridiculously long end of Common album track at the end, all the songs are good to great. “The People” featuring Dwele is such a beautiful song. I really like the bounce of “Drivin’ Me Wild” which features Lily Allen.  “U, Black Maybe” is interesting too. I love the synergy of Kanye and Common on “Southside” too. Ultimately this album is just about as good as Be…..in my opinion. Lyrics 25 Beats 23 Depth 23 Tilt 23 Verdict 94

Jada’s 2009 offering is really good, even if there were a couple songs he could have left off. He shows great lyrical ability on the songs, and his delivery demands your attention. The beats are good too, and I felt the album had pretty good replayability. This one has a little something for everybody. I felt the collabo with Ne-yo wasn’t as good as it could have been. What If is a great song even if it is somewhat like his “Why” song from 2004’s Kiss of Death. “Letter to B.I.G.” is incredibly thoughtful and features Faith Evans. “Stress Ya” produced by the Neptunes might be the best song. There some other gems too like “Smoking Gun” featuring Jazmine Sullivan. “I Tried” and “Come and Get Me” are pretty mid tho. Overall it’s a good album. Lyrics 23 Beats 20 Depth 22 Tilt 20 Verdict 85

  8) Double or Nothing -78 : I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. The collaboration between Big Sean and Metro Boomin is pretty much what you’d expect. “So Good” with Kash Doll is really raunchy but it works. I don’t really have a lot to say about this project. The beats are pretty solid. 7)Finally Famous- 80 : Ive been really hard on this album but you know what it ain’t that bad. “I Do It” was his first big solo single. Its pretty good. It’s funny that some would clown Sean for some of his bars on this album. “I’m Quagmire, I fuck hoes, my cash flow, I giggity get it” Yeah lol. “Wait For Me” with Lupe Fiasco is good too…..and I love the Kanye assisted “Marvin & Chardonnay”. Some of these songs haven’t aged that well but hey its not a bad album by any means. 6)Twenty88-87: This is the collaboration album with his former lover Jhene AIko. For the most part I really like this album. The 2 have chemistry as they’ve collaborated on previous albums. The first song “...

 I've finally bringing you my review for the latest Kehlani album which was released on her 31st bday. This album was kinda like a reset for Kehlani. The album grew on me. "Folded" is the big single here and it's so damn good. There's a huge guest list and for the most part they work. For some reason I wasn't feeling the Lil Wayne feature that much or the Clipse on their respective songs. Missy Elliot does well on "Back and Forth" and Usher is great on "Shoulda Never". I enjoyed the duet with Brandy on "I Need You". T-Pain and Lil Jon bring the energy on "Call Me Back". Cardi B has easily the best feature on "Pocket" which is gonna be a single I bet. "Oooh" and "Out the Window" were other highlights. But how is Kehlani on this album? I feel she's great and versatile.....but maybe not as great as on some past works. This album's beats are pretty solid too. I liked most of these songs,...

 This is a album I meant to review a long time ago. It gets off to kind of a mid start but it gets better as it goes. The first song, the title track has like a mid track reset that is kinda annoying. " I Ain't Gone Hold Ya" is fire. "MJ Jeezy" is nice too. I really like the menacing feel of "Scarface".  "How Deep" is another great song. The album is very high tempo....with a mixtape vibe courtesy of DJ Drama who is all over this thing. Lyrically Jeezy is pretty solid here. I like the production too. Depth wise it was good too. Overall I'd say its not his best album since 2020 but its decent man.  Lyrics 22 Beats 22 Depth 21 Tilt 22 Verdict 87

 Ah the new Kanye West....after all the drama.....and oh yeah I thought Kanye was done done. But hey Vultures 1 and 2 weren't that bad imo. Bully is a good album...but I cant help but feel like Kanye is playing it way too safe on it. I love his flow on "This is a Must". "Father" with TRAVIS SCOTT is great too. "All The Love" is one of the best Kanye songs in years. On "Mama's Favorite" you get to hear Donda West speak. Kanye's mother meant so much to him. There were a few head scratchers here like "Last Breath" which I guess Kanye was going for a Spanish sound.....it didn't work! Overall tho this is a step in the right direction. The production was very sound. I will definitely have this album in my Kanye West album rotation.... Lyrics 20 Beats 23 Depth 21 Tilt 20 Verdict 84